Health Assessment and Communication

Running head: COLLABORATION AND TEAMWORK 1

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COLLABORATION AND TEAMWORK

Collaboration and Teamwork in Health Care

Samantha M. Tallarine

Capella University

BSN-FP4002

Assessment, Communication, and Collaboration

June, 2019

Teamwork in the healthcare profession is defined as two or more professionals interacting interdependently with a common goal, working towards measureable purposes that benefits and improves the health of the patients as a possible outcome. Teamwork in the healthcare field describes the practice of collaboration and enhanced communication between the health workers to expand their traditional roles of making decisions as one unit in order to achieve a common goal. Researchers have found that teams function better to achieve a common goal with a clear purpose than working independently. The use of meetings and other communication methods is also important to discuss results of patients, share their perspective information, debating a discussion to improve the healthcare outcomes. Teamwork and collaboration is essential in the care of patients of a decentralized system of healthcare with more than one level of health workers associated.

By definition, healthcare is a multidisciplinary profession in which healthcare professionals like doctors, pharmacists, nurses and many others from different specialties work and communicate together and share their respective resources and knowledge. Each professional, with their own knowledge and responsibilities, work as a unit in the team to achieve the optimal care of a patient, and help to solve their health care problems. Efficacious teams of health care do their best to comprehend the condition of the patient individually and then after debate provide a recommendation. Health care teams can also work together to develop health advancement and even involve behaviors in people for the prevention of diseases. Conclusion of the collaborative and team work in healthcare professionals is essential for better outcomes and countering diseases in future which one cannot eradicate individually, thus the alliance of the healthcare specialists is obligatory.

Benefits of Effective Collaboration in Healthcare

Teamwork has become a significant health intervention for many reasons; the clinical aspect is becoming more multifaceted and specialized day by day. This forces healthcare professionals to try difficult health services and acquiring rapid knowledge of new procedures. The increase of chronic diseases like diabetes mellitus, cancer and diseases associated with heart and other vital organs have enforced medical personnel to take a multidisciplinary approach when caring for patients.

When teams are working in collaboration, often errors are checked and there is an assurance of the heath procedure. This benefits the patients the most. Getting diagnosed by a whole team rather than an individual healthcare professional. The adverse drug effects, which include drug-to-drug interaction as well other interaction with food. Humans are not computers, and cannot specialize in so many medical fields at the same time, thus different professionals of health care must use teamwork and collaboration in the benefit of the patient’s perspective. This in turn can also increase the satisfaction of the patients and allows them to accept the medical treatment therapies with ease and can lead to improved health outcomes.

There has been research on the extremely active areas regarding teamwork and collaborations in an organizational setting like the operating rooms, ICUs, and medical emergencies, which focuses on the aspects of qualitative and safe measures on patient care. The procedure to provide healthcare is interdisciplinary, which requires many healthcare professionals to work in teams. In the literature of patient safety it is documented that the performance of the team is fundamental in providing healthcare. If there is a poor communication among various levels of an organization, it affects the patient’s welfare and quality. Therefore, teamwork has become essential of organization-based interventions for improving patient care and values of medical knowledge. Organizational benefits are optimal when teams are working in coordination; there is reduced hospitalization time, which reduces the cost. Reducing hospitalization time allows for better accessibility for the patients.

The healthcare workers benefit from working as both a team as well as individual team members. When working as a team it distributes the workload, which enhances efficient work in each specialized domain. There is an improvement in management of the care giving techniques to the patients. The services of the healthcare system is made efficient and there is an enhanced communication between the professionals that increases the diversity of knowledge and critical thinking for deducting solutions for complex problems, individually the members are clarified by their role in the healthcare system. Teamwork and collaboration enhances the job satisfaction and well being of medical personnel.

Characteristics of Effective Interdisciplinary Collaboration

First of all, for an effective interdisciplinary collaboration there must be good communication between the team members so they can develop a feeling that they could speak and listen throughout a team discussion, which leads to the resolution of difficult problems within a team. Respecting and understanding the roles of other team members is important so that every member knows the boundaries and limitations of their respective roles, which makes them aware of the particular role that has the potential of influence on patients. The appropriate skill mix is an important attribute, which refers to making a team of exact professional skills. The assurance of qualitative outcomes of care is important so that a team can be evaluated for its effectiveness. The teams, which are effective, have processes and resources of their own. This attribute reflects the sufficient physical resources like offices; computers of their own can enhance their effectiveness. Every member of the team should be aware of the goal and purpose of the team so that the participants can put efforts in achieving that goal as a team. There is a need of flexibility, which means to cover other member’s role with knowing each other’s boundaries. There must also be flexibility, for example, the working hours. There must be a leadership and management role in the team, which leads the team towards their respective goals. The team members are rewarded financially and provided opportunities’ for career development. Every team member should be compromising, confidential, empathetic, good organization skills, professionalism and responsible.

Barriers to Effective Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Lack of knowledge and training in the interdisciplinary collaboration is the biggest con. If the role and vision of the team is not clear to the team members and there is a lack of communication between the management and workers of the team, it can be very detrimental to the patient. Not understanding the individual roles and the limitations and boundaries are not always well defined. Often, the team is too large or small which makes it harder for communication, and proper outcome cannot be achieved. The mixing of skills is inappropriate in a team. The commitment of the team members is also a barrier; it can reduce the outcome if there is some kind of uncertainty.

Strategies to Overcome Barriers

Knowledge of other professions is the most important step in collaborative teamwork. Many experts are illiterate about the other professions, due to the lack of co-operation and training. Thus, the knowledge of other healthcare professions well defines the roles and boundaries to work in which provides and enhanced outcome and efficacy. In health care systems, many professions have an overlap for this cause the team members must respect each other’s role. The leadership of the team should provide a clear vision of the task so that team members work in collaboration to achieve a certain goal without any ambiguity. The leaders must also establish a system for resolving the conflicts among the team members. Everyone in the team should be willing to overcome the barriers which are decreasing the efficacy of team’s outcome.

Resources

Librarian, I. (n.d.). Why is Teamwork in Health Care Important? Retrieved from https://www.hrhresourcecenter.org/HRH_Info_Teamwork.html

Nancarrow, S. A., Booth, A., Ariss, S., Smith, T., Enderby, P., & Roots, A. (2013, May 10). Ten principles of good interdisciplinary team work. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3662612/

2 March, 2. (n.d.). Understanding the barriers to multiprofessional collaboration. Retrieved from https://www.nursingtimes.net/roles/nurse-managers/understanding-the-barriers-to-multiprofessional-collaboration/204513.article

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